Archives by Tag 'Hammerlocks'

Watch and listen to world class instruction from Ben Askren, four time NCAA finalist for the University of Missouri. This technique from the top position begins with the cradle ride. The cradle ride begins with an overhook ride that locks on the pectoral muscle of the bottom man. At the same time, the waist hand goes to the far ankle as the top man drives the bottom man forward onto his hands. Typically, the bottom man will post the far leg in order to prevent being broken down. At this point, Askren locks the far side cradle. Askren finishes in two typical ways. First, he jumps to the side of the lock, gets hip to hip and drives the bottom man to his hip and takes him over for a near fall. He secures the pin by pushing the hips away with his bottom knee and scooping the top far leg with his top leg. The second finish is a roll through. The roll through finish should be taken where the bottom man does not have a post.

In this sequence, Askren also demonstrates counters to typical reactions by the bottom man. First, the bottom man will rotate his outide leg and grab the hand on his ankle in an effort to peel the ankle hand and stand up. Askren counters this by jamming the head down with the pectoral lock and bringing the ankle hand off the ankle and to the other hand. This secures the cradle and he finishes as before. Second, the bottom man may get his arm out between the bodies. When this occurs, the top man cannot roll through. Instead, the top man circles and drives in toward the hips, then jumps back to the near side. At this point, the bottom man will be flat on his back with his arm trapped. The top man will likely secure a pin from this position.